Educate yourself about the problem. The Michigan State University College of Law has a very informative page on dog fighting that covers the history, the training, the culture, the societal cost, the criminal links, laws and legal issues, and evidence, including less obvious things such as the drugs/vitamins/medical supplies used. You can also find out about the signs of dog fighting. And the Humane Society of the United States has a FAQ on dog fighting. (Note: None of the these pages have gruesome photos of dogs showing the barbarism of dog fighting. They do have a wealth of information.)
And you can support these groups who are working to end dog fighting:
- The ASPCA has a Veterinary Forensics Team and a Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit that help with animal cruelty investigations across the country.
- The Humane Society of the United States is working on innovative ways to stop dog fighting—the End Dog Fighting in Chicago campaign has professional dog training classes for at-risk kids to teach them other ways to relate to their dogs and held a rap concert to promote an anti-dog fighting message.
- Here’s a great video showing one of the professional dog training classes in Chicago (there is a very brief scene of dog fighting, but it’s worth it to see these guys connecting with their dogs in a completely different way.)
- The Animal Legal Defense Fund was established in 1979 and they work to protect animals by:
- Filing groundbreaking lawsuits to stop animal abuse and expand the boundaries of animal law.
- Providing free legal assistance to prosecutors handling cruelty cases.
- Working to strengthen state anti-cruelty statutes.
- Encouraging the federal government to enforce existing animal protection laws.
- Nurturing the future of animal law through Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapters and our Animal Law Program.
- Providing public education through seminars, workshops and other outreach efforts.